The sky above Elyndor turned dark and heavy.
Mana storms gathered high above the Celestial Arena, crackling with uncontrolled power.
The clash of Sovereign will and Dragonblood fury tore the world open.
On the Arena Floor
Kaelen and Tyrian stood ten paces apart, flames swirling at their feet.
Both were battered.
Both were breathing hard.
But where Tyrian's dragonfire burned erratic and wild, Kaelen's aura pulsed steady and sharp — like a blade honed to perfection.
The crowd barely dared to breathe.
The Royal Council leaned forward.
Even the hidden watchers from the Legacy Families tensed.
This was no longer just a duel.
This was a declaration.
Tyrian moved first.
He roared — a sound that shook the arena — and unleashed his full Dragonblood.
Golden scales erupted across his arms.
His eyes burned brighter, vertical pupils snapping into place.
Wings of fire unfurled behind him, crackling with pure destructive mana.
"Bow before the true rulers of this world, commoner!" Tyrian bellowed.
He raised his dragonbone spear high —
and the sky answered.
A colossal lance of condensed dragonfire began to form above him, spinning and roaring like a newborn sun.
In the stands, fear rippled.
"He's calling down a Sunflame Spear!"
"That's a forbidden-level magic!"
"Kaelen can't survive that!"
Kaelen didn't flinch.
He planted Sovereignblade Astryn into the cracked ground.
Closed his eyes for a single heartbeat.
And reached inward.
Deep, deep inside.
Where the System pulsed with golden light.
[System Notification]
[Sovereign Protocol: Emergency Release.]
[Partial Manifestation of Sovereign Path Available.]
[Warning: High Mana Drain. Body Instability Likely.]
Kaelen smiled.
"Doesn't matter."
He moved.
The cracked-crown sigil at his chest blazed, blindingly bright.
The ground under his feet shattered.
His Sovereignblade exploded into a dozen afterimages — silver arcs cutting through the smoky sky.
Sovereign Will burst outward in a shockwave.
It slammed into Tyrian's Sunflame Spear, forcing the colossal magic back mid-formation.
Tyrian's eyes widened.
"What—"
Kaelen spoke, voice low and unbreakable.
"I bow to no kings."
"No dragons."
"No gods."
"I forge my own throne."
The Clash
Tyrian hurled the half-formed Sunflame Spear.
It tore across the arena like a falling star.
Kaelen met it head-on.
No shields.
No spells.
Only Sovereignblade Astryn, burning with pure Sovereign will.
He slashed upward —
and split the spear apart in a shower of golden fire and shattered magic.
The shockwave flattened the lower rows of the stadium.
The sky howled.
The very world shuddered.
When the dust cleared,
Kaelen still stood.
Unbowed.
Unbroken.
Uncrowned —
but already Sovereign.
[System Notification]
[Sovereign Path Progression: 25% Achieved.]
[New Passive Ability Unlocked: Sovereign's Dominion (Suppress nearby hostile talents by 10%).]
Across the Arena
Tyrian fell to one knee.
He gasped for breath, blood trickling from his mouth.
Golden scales flickered and cracked across his skin.
He looked up — and saw Kaelen walking toward him through the smoke, Sovereignblade resting lightly across his shoulders.
The crowd watched in frozen silence.
Nobles.
Commoners.
Legacy Heirs.
None could deny it anymore.
Kaelen Drayce was no ordinary awakener.
He was a force that no bloodline could chain.
Kaelen stopped two paces from Tyrian.
The Dragonblood Heir glared upward — fury, disbelief, and fear warring in his gaze.
Kaelen spoke softly, but the words rang across the entire arena.
"You called me commoner."
"But today, you kneel to me."
Silence.
And then —
A single voice from the crowd:
"The Uncrowned Sovereign!"
Then another.
And another.
Until the entire arena roared the name:
"UNCROWNED SOVEREIGN! UNCROWNED SOVEREIGN!"
High above, the Legacy Clan elders turned away grimly.
The world they had ruled from the shadows was changing.
And nothing could stop it now.